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• prince
  prince

  noun

  a nonreigning male member of a royal family.
• Prince
  Prince

  noun

  Harold S(mith) Hal, 1928–2019, U.S. stage director and producer.

prince

¹ American  

[prins] / prɪns /

noun

• princes
  plural

1. a nonreigning male member of a royal family.

2. History/Historical. a sovereign or monarch; king.

3. (in Great Britain) a son or grandson (if the child of a son) of a king or queen.

4. the English equivalent of any of various titles of nobility in other countries.

5. a holder of such a title.

6. the ruler of a small state, as one actually or nominally subordinate to a suzerain.

   Monaco is ruled by a prince.

7. a person or thing that is chief or preeminent in any class, group, etc..

   a merchant prince.

8. a person possessing admirably fine and genial characteristics.

   He is a prince of a man.

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Prince ² American  

[prins] / prɪns /

noun

1. Harold S(mith) Hal, 1928–2019, U.S. stage director and producer.

2. Prince Rogers Nelson, 1958–2016, U.S. singer, songwriter, and guitarist.

3. a male given name.

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prince ¹ British  

/ prɪns /

noun

1. (in Britain) a son of the sovereign or of one of the sovereign's sons

2. a nonreigning male member of a sovereign family

3. the monarch of a small territory, such as Monaco, usually called a principality, that was at some time subordinate to an emperor or king

4. any sovereign; monarch

5. a nobleman in various countries, such as Italy and Germany

6. an outstanding member of a specified group

   a merchant prince

7. informal a generous and charming man

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Prince ² British  

/ prɪns /

noun

1. full name Prince Rogers Nelson. born 1958, US rock singer, songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist. His albums include Dirty Mind (1981), Purple Rain (1984), Parade (1986), and Sign o' the Times (1987)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• princeship
  noun
• princeless
  adjective
• princelike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• princes
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of prince

1175–1225; Middle English < Old French < Latin prīncip- (stem of prīnceps ) first, principal (adj.), principal person, leader (noun), equivalent to prīn- for prīmus prime + -cep- (combining form of capere to take) + -s nominative singular ending

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Explanation

A prince is royalty, the son of a king or queen. Originally, a prince was the ruler of and individual territory, also known as “principalities.” A prince is a popular fairy tale hero, but there are real live ones, too. A prince is the son of a monarch, possibly even the person who stands to inherit the title of king after his father's death. Sometimes, though, a prince is simply a member of the royal family, or even a ruler over a small area of the monarch's country. Prince comes from the Latin princeps, "first man" or "ruler," from primus, "first." A prince is often first in line to inherit the throne.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

prince Prince princes

How frustrating that he of all people — the dark prince of pranks — may be Holmes’ latest patsy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026

He was truly my shining star, my shining prince.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

The 46-year-old said the prince, who presented Sir Kevin and Burrow with their CBEs at Headingley Stadium in 2024, had been "fantastically supportive" of their campaign.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

“I’m the prince of Insein Prison,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

Before the prince could answer, the entire group heard footsteps coming from down the hall.

From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley

Contacted by AFP through his various online platforms, Prince did not respond.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

But it also linked Prince to operations in January 2026 to retake Uvira, a major South Kivu city briefly captured by the M23.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

The King and Queen, along with the Prince of Wales, will return to south Wales next week to pay their respects at the Aberfan memorial garden exactly 60 years since the disaster.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

Another partner at the firm since that time is Prince Khalid Bin Bader Al Saud, a member of the royal family, the website says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

Nhamo wailed uncontrollably as the warriors and Prince Kakono sacrificed themselves, but her cries weren’t for them.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

The Plaid leader told an interview with Politics Home last year that he did not believe in "kings and princes", but said the issue was not a "political priority for him".

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

In Zvirynets—once the hunting grounds of medieval princes, now a leafy upscale neighborhood—residents hurry to the subway station.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

Each trade has its kings and queens, its princes and princesses.

From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2026

This changed when “Heated Rivalry” actors Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams broke the formula, starring as two rival fae princes in “Ember & Ice,” Quinn’s most popular series to date.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026

The Church supported these cities to increase its temporal power; in many other cities, citizens became princes.

From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli

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